Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced that USDA has awarded $31.5 million in funding to local, state, and national organizations to support programs that help participants in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) increase their purchase of fruits and vegetables, including more than $4 million for California.

Recognizing that all Americans fall well short of the servings of fruits and vegetables recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the grants will test incentive strategies to help SNAP participants better afford fruits and vegetables. These grants were made through the Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive (FINI) program authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill.

The USDA is funding projects in 26 states for up to 4 years, using funds from FY2014 and FY2015.  The California projects are as follows:

Pilot projects (up to $100,000, not to exceed 1 year):

• Yolo County Department of Employment and Social Services, Woodland, Calif., $100,000 for “Bonus Bucks” program in cooperation with local grocers.

Multi-year community-based projects (up to $500,000, not to exceed 4 years):

• Mandela Marketplace, Inc., Oakland, Calif., $422,500 for an online direct-to-consumer incentive program at SNAP-authorized retailers.

Multi-year large-scale projects ($500,000 or greater, not to exceed 4 years):

• Ecology Center, Berkeley, Calif., $3,704,287 for dollar-to-dollar matching of SNAP benefits.

Here are descriptions of all the funded projects.

All FINI projects must (1) have the support of a state SNAP agency; (2) increase the purchase of fruits and vegetables by SNAP participants by providing incentives at the point of purchase; (3) operate through authorized SNAP retailers; (4) agree to participate in the comprehensive FINI program evaluation; (5) ensure that the same terms and conditions apply to purchases made by both SNAP participants and non-participants; and (6) include effective and efficient technologies for benefit redemption systems that may be replicated in other states and communities.

Link to full news release

 

Following the lowest snow pack ever recorded and with no end to the drought in sight, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced actions that will save water, increase enforcement to prevent wasteful water use, streamline the state’s drought response and invest in new technologies that will make California more drought resilient.

“Today we are standing on dry grass where there should be five feet of snow. This historic drought demands unprecedented action,” said Governor Brown. “Therefore, I’m issuing an executive order mandating substantial water reductions across our state. As Californians, we must pull together and save water in every way possible.”

High resolution photos of previous snow surveys are available here.

For more than two years, the state’s experts have been managing water resources to ensure that the state survives this drought and is better prepared for the next one. Last year, the Governor proclaimed a drought state of emergency. The state has taken steps to make sure that water is available for human health and safety, growing food, fighting fires and protecting fish and wildlife. Millions have been spent helping thousands of California families most impacted by the drought pay their bills, put food on their tables and have water to drink.

The following is a summary of the executive order issued by the Governor today.

Save Water

For the first time in state history, the Governor has directed the State Water Resources Control Board to implement mandatory water reductions in cities and towns across California to reduce water usage by 25 percent. This savings amounts to approximately 1.5 million acre-feet of water over the next nine months, or nearly as much as is currently in Lake Oroville.

To save more water now, the order will also:

• Replace 50 million square feet of lawns throughout the state with drought tolerant landscaping in partnership with local governments;
• Direct the creation of a temporary, statewide consumer rebate program to replace old appliances with more water and energy efficient models;
• Require campuses, golf courses, cemeteries and other large landscapes to make significant cuts in water use; and
• Prohibit new homes and developments from irrigating with potable water unless water-efficient drip irrigation systems are used, and ban watering of ornamental grass on public street medians.

Increase Enforcement

The Governor’s order calls on local water agencies to adjust their rate structures to implement conservation pricing, recognized as an effective way to realize water reductions and discourage water waste.

Agricultural water users – which have borne much of the brunt of the drought to date, with hundreds of thousands of fallowed acres, significantly reduced water allocations and thousands of farmworkers laid off – will be required to report more water use information to state regulators, increasing the state’s ability to enforce against illegal diversions and waste and unreasonable use of water under today’s order. Additionally, the Governor’s action strengthens standards for Agricultural Water Management Plans submitted by large agriculture water districts and requires small agriculture water districts to develop similar plans. These plans will help ensure that agricultural communities are prepared in case the drought extends into 2016.

Additional actions required by the order include:

•  Taking action against water agencies in depleted groundwater basins that have not shared data on their groundwater supplies with the state;
• Updating standards for toilets and faucets and outdoor landscaping in residential communities and taking action against communities that ignore these standards; and
• Making permanent monthly reporting of water usage, conservation and enforcement actions by local water suppliers.

Streamline Government Response

The order:

•  Prioritizes state review and decision-making of water infrastructure projects and requires state agencies to report to the Governor’s Office on any application pending for more than 90 days.
• Streamlines permitting and review of emergency drought salinity barriers – necessary to keep freshwater supplies in upstream reservoirs for human use and habitat protection for endangered and threatened species;
• Simplifies the review and approval process for voluntary water transfers and emergency drinking water projects; and
• Directs state departments to provide temporary relocation assistance to families who need to move from homes where domestic wells have run dry to housing with running water.

Invest in New Technologies

The order helps make California more drought resilient by  ncentivizing promising new technology that will make California more water efficient through a new program administered by the California Energy Commission.

The full text of the executive order can be found here.

For more than two years, California has been dealing with the effects of drought. To learn about all the actions the state has taken to manage our water system and cope with the impacts of the drought, visit Drought.CA.Gov.

 Every Californian should take steps to conserve water. Find out how at SaveOurWater.com.

Link to news release

The California Department of Food & Agriculture’s Division of Fairs and Expositions is proud to feature a California Fairs Exhibit at the California State Capitol March 30^th-April 3^rd. The exhibit features information on the network of California Fairs and 2015 fair dates.

The network of California fairs consists of 52 active District Agriculture Associations (state entities), 22 County fairs (county operated or sponsored non-profit organizations), two citrus fruit fairs established to promote the citrus industry, and the California State Fair & Exposition.

The common purpose of California’s network of fairs is to provide agricultural education to fair attendees, as well as showcase and exhibit the state’s industries and products. Fair events are continuous throughout much of the the year. The schedule began the second week in February with the Cloverdale and Indio fairs and will end with the Grand National Rodeo in Daly City during the first week of November.

California fairs also host events throughout  the year, such as home shows, dog shows, and rodeos! California fairs are community-based so community groups and private entities can utilize the fairgrounds and facilities. Fairgrounds also serve as emergency staging and evacuation areas for the public, their animals,  and state agencies such as CAL FIRE.

When is your fair? See the following link for fair dates and additional information. http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/fe/Fair_Information/Fair_Dates_and_Information.asp

Please enjoy the bounty that California fairs offer and stop-by the California Fairs exhibit at the State Capitol March 30^th-April 3^rd!

The USDA has awarded $9 million in grants to develop childhood obesity intervention programs through colleges and universities in 12 states and Puerto Rico. The grants are funded through the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), the flagship competitive grant program authorized under the 2014 Farm Bill.

“One-third of the children in the U.S. are overweight or obese, making this issue one of the greatest health challenges facing our nation,” said USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack. “It is critical that we make the effort to help our children be healthy kids, and develop into healthy adults,” said Vilsack.

USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) made the awards through the AFRI Childhood Obesity Prevention Challenge Area.

The awards include:

• California State University, Chico, Calif., $149,890
• University of California-Berkeley, Berkeley, Calif. $777,508
• University of California-Davis, Davis, Calif. $690,537

The CSU Chico project will work to better understand strategies for promoting healthy eating behaviors through mindful eating among children and families in the Hispanic community; The UC Berkeley project will seek to improve dietary intake and reduce obesity among low-income youth and enhance the financial and social sustainability of school food-service programs by promoting healthier habits while utilizing the principles of behavioral economics; and the UC Davis project will  focus on the expansion of the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program in a medical clinic setting, and will bring the Healthy Kids program to Spanish-speaking populations in California and Nevada.

NIFA anticipates making $42 million available over the next five years for the AFRI Childhood Obesity Prevention Challenge Area, with the expectation that the new projects awarded this fiscal year would receive additional funds (based on available funding) if they achieve project objectives and milestones.

Find a complete list of this year’s project descriptions on the NIFA website.

Link to complete news release

Moving swiftly to help communities cope with California’s devastating drought and the ongoing effects of climate change, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today signed emergency legislation – AB 91 and AB 92 – that fast-tracks more than $1 billion in funding for drought relief and critical water infrastructure projects.

“This funding is just one piece of a much larger effort to help those most impacted by the drought and prepare the state for an uncertain future,” said Governor Brown. “But make no mistake, from Modoc to Imperial County, rain is not in the forecast and every Californian must be doing their utmost to conserve water.”

Governor Brown joined Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins, Senate President pro Tempore Kevin de León and Republican Leaders Assemblymember Kristin Olsen and Senator Bob Huff last week to announce agreement on the $1 billion legislation, which accelerates emergency food aid, drinking water, water recycling, conservation awareness, water system modeling, species tracking, infrastructure and flood protection funding. For full text of the bills, visit: http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/

Today’s announcement builds on unprecedented action from the State Water Resources Control Board over the past year to prohibit wasteful water use and encourage Californians to conserve. These emergency regulations – the most stringent statewide measures in California’s history – include strict limits on outdoor irrigation (two days a week in much of California), bans on hosing down outdoor surfaces, decorative water fountains that don’t recirculate water and car washing without an automatic shut-off nozzle and requirements that bars and restaurants only serve water upon request and hotels ask guests staying multiple nights whether linens and towels need to be washed.

The Governor has also taken critical steps to prepare the state for prolonged droughts, leading the campaign to pass Proposition 1, California’s $7.5 billion water bond, which won bipartisan approval in the Legislature and was approved overwhelmingly at the polls. The funds represent the most significant statewide investment in water supply infrastructure projects in decades – a package that includes surface and groundwater storage, ecosystem and watershed protection and restoration, and drinking water protection. Additionally, for the first time in California’s history, Governor Brown signed legislation creating a framework for local, sustainable management of groundwater, which accounts for about one-third of California’s water supply.

Over the past two years, state and federal water regulators have also limited water allocations from the State Water Project and Central Valley Project for agricultural users to historically low levels – between zero and 20 percent of contracted amounts and junior water rights have also been drastically curtailed. As growers grapple with these historically dry conditions, the California Department of Food and Agriculture has provided $10 million in grants to help implement more than 150 water conservation projects that will help save hundreds of thousands of acre-feet of water statewide. An additional $10 million is expedited in this legislation to continue this program.

In addition to today’s funding, the state has committed more than $870 million in drought relief since last year to assist drought-affected communities and provide funding to better use local water supplies. Last month, Governor Brown met with U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell in Sacramento to announce nearly $20 million in federal drought relief for California’s Central Valley Project.

In December 2013, the Governor formed a Drought Task Force to quickly respond to the emerging drought impacts throughout the state. The following month, the Governor declared a drought state of emergency and the administration finalized a comprehensive Water Action Plan that charts the course for California to become more resilient in the face of droughts and floods moving forward. Later in 2014, the Governor issued executive orders to further strengthen the state’s ability to manage water and habitat effectively in drought conditions and streamline efforts to provide water to families in dire need.

Governor Brown has called on all Californians to reduce their water use by 20 percent and prevent water waste. Visit SaveOurWater.com to find out how everyone can do their part and Drought.CA.Gov to learn more about how California is dealing with the effects of the drought.

Link to news release

United States honey production in 2014 from producers with five or more colonies totaled 178 million pounds, up 19 percent from 2013, according to information compiled by the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).

There were 2.74 million colonies producing honey in 2014, up 4 percent from 2013. Yield per colony averaged 65.1 pounds, up 15 percent from the 56.6 pounds in 2013. Producer honey stocks were 41.2 million pounds on December 15, 2014, up 8 percent from a year earlier.

Honey prices increased to a record high during 2014 to 216.1 cents per pound, up 1 percent from 214.1 cents per pound in 2013. United States and state-level prices reflect the portions of honey sold through cooperatives, private, and retail channels.

California saw its production volume decrease slightly in 2014, from 11.5 million pounds in 2013 to nearly 10.9 million pounds, but the value of production increased, from $22.4 million in 2013 to nearly $23 million.

Link to production information

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